Book Club 2019

The Sustainability Book Club is a fun and welcoming environment for readers that want to learn more about the environment and sustainability. We meet on the FIRST Thursday of each Month at 6:00 PM. A time for snacks and socializing precedes the meeting. Book club books are discounted at South Main Book Company, or check to see if they are available at the library.

January 3: The Month of Their Ripening by Georgann Eubanks

Telling the stories of twelve North Carolina heritage foods, each matched to the month of its peak readiness for eating, Georgann Eubanks takes readers on a flavorful journey across the state. She begins in January with the most ephemeral of southern ingredients—snow—to witness Tar Heels making snow cream. In March, she takes a midnight canoe ride on the Trent River in search of shad, a bony fish with a savory history. In November, she visits a Chatham County sawmill where the possums are always first into the persimmon trees.

Talking with farmers, fishmongers, cooks, historians, and scientists, Eubanks looks at how foods are deeply tied to the culture of the Old North State. Some have histories that go back thousands of years. Garlicky green ramps, gathered in April and traditionally savored by many Cherokee people, are now endangered by their popularity in fine restaurants. Oysters, though, are enjoying a comeback, cultivated by entrepreneurs along the coast in December. These foods, and the stories of the people who prepare and eat them, make up the long-standing dialect of North Carolina kitchens. But we have to wait for the right moment to enjoy them, and in that waiting is their treasure.

February 7: A Little Tea Book by Sebastian Beckwith

From tea guru Sebastian Beckwith and New York Times bestsellers Caroline Paul and Wendy MacNaughton comes the essential guide to exploring and enjoying the vast world of tea.

Tea, the most popular beverage in the world after water, has brought nations to war, defined cultures, bankrupted coffers, and toppled kings. And yet in many ways this fragrantly comforting and storied brew remains elusive, even to its devotees. As down-to-earth yet stylishly refined as the drink itself, A Little Tea Book submerges readers into tea, exploring its varieties, subtleties, and pleasures right down to the process of selecting and brewing the perfect cup.

From orange pekoe to pu-erh, tea expert Sebastian Beckwith provides surprising tips, fun facts, and flavorful recipes to launch dabblers and connoisseurs alike on a journey of taste and appreciation. Along with writer and fellow tea-enthusiast Caroline Paul, Beckwith walks us through the cultural and political history of the elixir that has touched every corner of the world. Featuring featuring charming, colorful charts, graphs, and illustrations by bestselling illustrator Wendy MacNaughton and Beckwith’s sumptuous photographs, A Little Tea Book is a friendly, handsome, and illuminating primer with a dash of sass and sophistication. Cheers!

This book will change your family’s relationship with food. It holds the answers to our nourishment crisis and exposes our cultural food norms that contribute to the epidemic of chronic disease affecting half of all Americans. In Nourish Your Tribe, Nicole Magryta, a 20-year veteran of clinical nutrition, describes the powerful impact food and the environment have on our children’s development and long-term success. Using clear parenting techniques, illustrations, and the latest science-verified nutritional recommendations, she shares expert guidance to maximize your family’s lifelong health and minimize illness.

April 4: Wine to Water: How One Man Saved Himself While Trying to Save the World by Doc Hendley

The captivating story of an ordinary bartender turned humanitarian who’s changing the world through clean water.

Doc Hendley never set out to be a hero. A small-town bartender, Doc loved his Harley, music, and booze. Then he learned about the world’s water crisis, and decided to help by hosting fundraisers. But he wanted to do more and soon found himself traveling to one of the world’s most dangerous hot spots: Darfur, Sudan.

Doc was immediately cast into a crisis zone. The Sudanese government was wiping out entire villages through horrific state-sponsored genocide—and one of the chief weapons was water. By dumping corpses in water sources and shooting up water bladders, Janjaweed terrorists doomed hundreds of thousands of citizens to dehydration, disease, and death.

At just twenty-five years old, Doc was inexperienced, untrained, and in constant danger—but he stepped up to save lives. Alternatively begging international organizations for funding and dodging trigger-happy Janjaweed, Doc began drilling and repairing wells, bringing drinking water to those who desperately needed it. Wine to Water is his story about braving tribal warfare in far-flung regions of the world, and an inspirational tale of how one ordinary person can make a difference.

May 2:
To Be Determined

June 6: Growing Tomorrow: A Farm-to-Table Journey in Photos and Recipes by Forrest Pritchard

Meeting location to be announced.

Meet the local farmers who feed America—in stories, photos, and 50 recipes!

When Forrest Pritchard went looking for the unsung heroes of local, sustainable food, he found them at 18 exceptional farms all over the country.

In Detroit, Aba Ifeoma of D-Town Farm dreams of replenishing the local “food desert” with organic produce. On Cape Cod, Nick Muto stays afloat and eco-friendly by fishing with the seasons. And in Washington State, fourth-generation farmer Robert Hayton confides, “This farm has been rescued by big harvests. . . . For every one great season, though, you’ve got ten years of tough.”

With more than 50 mouthwatering recipes and over 250 photographs, this unique cookbook captures the struggles and triumphs of the visionary farmers who are Growing Tomorrow.

Contact info@breadriot.org if you have questions. You’re welcome whether or not you’ve read the book. Likewise, if you’re unable to be with us but read the book, we’d appreciate your thoughts.